Prostitution ban in residential areas

The State Government has released details of its plan to ban prostitution in residential areas and give police extra powers to shut down illegal brothels.

Under the proposal the State Government will take ultimate responsibility for where brothels are located and the laws they operate under.

Currently much of the responsibility falls under local councils.

The Attorney-General Christian Porter says the laws will help the community.

"There will be numerous brothels at the moment that are operating in a way which would contravene the laws that we are going to bring into place," he said.

"They're either going to have to move or they're going to get shut down."

The Opposition says it is a huge backflip on the policy the Government took to the last election.

Shadow Attorney General John Quigley says the Opposition will not support the policy until it sees the draft legislation.

"The Labor Party will wait to see the proposed legislation. The devil will be in the detail."

Mr Quigley criticized the Government for not releasing a draft of the bill before Christmas.

"What the Government promised you and promised the community was a green bill with all the details in it before Christmas.

What the Attorney General has told you today is that that's not going to happen."

Mr Porter says he's confident that the legislation will pass.

"It's very difficult but I'm not in this to fail with this legislation.

There have been two prior failed attempts under Labor and as I said in parliament, the reality is despite all the posturing, things with respect to prostitution in WA are precisely where they were ten years ago."